Your home is your biggest asset – both in terms of being where you spend the majority of your time, raise your family and spend time with loved ones, but also as it’s the single largest financial commitment most of us make. So making sure you take care of your property should be high up the list for any homeowner. Our drainage systems are a crucial, but often overlooked, piece of the mechanics of our homes. A small problem can rapidly turn into a huge issue that has a knock-on impact on many areas of your house, so it’s vital that you get any drainage matters sorted out quickly and professionally. It can be complicated to identify exactly what the issue is, which is where a CCTV drain survey can really help.
What Is A CCTV Drain Survey?
When you experience blocked drains, or book a CCTV drain survey, the process involves threading a small camera down into your pipes, drains or sewer systems to identify the cause of a problem, usually to locate a blockage or some structural damage. The camera gives our engineer a clear view of the drains in your home, recorded and displayed on a monitor. You’ll be able to see the insides of the drainage system. Our engineer will then diagnose the problem and be able to provide a solution.
A CCTV drain survey is a quick and efficient process, offering a reliable, accurate and cost-effective way of identifying a drainage problem. Damage or debris is your drains is clearly visible without the need for costly excavation before you even know what the problem is. If excavation is required to remedy the problem, it will be in one precise spot, making the whole process a lot speedier, less messy and much more accurate.
Why Do I Need To Book A CCTV Drain Survey?
There are many reasons why customers choose to book a survey – here are just some of them:
Buying a new home
When you purchase a home, you go to considerable effort and expense, so it’s vital to ensure that your new home has a drain survey in place before completing the sale. A CCTV drain survey lets you establish there aren’t any existing problems with the drains that could cause significant, costly damage further down the line. It may be a condition of your mortgage lender to have all surveys in place before a sale is agreed. Moving house is a costly process, so you want to have the peace of mind of knowing that there are no issues waiting to happen. If you do find damage on your CCTV drain survey, you can request that the vendor sorts the problem out before proceeding with the purchase.
Planning an extension
These days, many homeowners choose to avoid the cost and hassle of moving house by extending their properties – especially in London and the surrounding areas, where soaring house prices mean that it’s often more sensible to extend your existing home. If you’re planning a home extension, you’ll need a drain survey before commencing building work. It’s a condition of the water authority and the planning permission to undertake a survey if there’s building work planned.
Combatting rodent problems
You’re never that far away from a rat, especially in built-up urban areas like London, and rodent problems are an unfortunate common fact of city living.Unsealed and redundant pipes are a major entry for rodents, and most pest control technicians will not visit a site until a cctv drainage survey has been done first. The most common source of rodent infestation is actually building work where pipes have been left unsealed. If a problem is found, techniques such as linings or maneuverable sealing bags can sometimes be used to correct the problem.
Suspected water damage
Water damage is one of the most serious things that can happen to your home if left unchecked. Causing anything from structural damage and subsidence to electrical faults if it gets bad enough! If you catch it early, water damage may be purely cosmetic. Signs to look out for are dark or wet spots appearing on the walls, ceiling or floor, cracked, bubbling or flaking plaster, a sudden and unexplained increase in your utility bills or a smell of damp. If you have one or more of these issues, they need to be sorted out quickly to prevent any further damage, so start with a cctv drain survey to determine the cause
Preventing structural issues
If water damage has been occurring for a while, then it may have had time to cause serious issues such as subsidence. This refers to the sinking and warping of the foundations of your house. Homes built on clay-based grounds are more susceptible to it. A leaking drain can erode the soil under your home over time and saturate the foundations causing them to subside. You may notice doors sticking, floors becoming uneven and large cracks appearing in the walls. Depending on the severity, your home may need the foundations repinning or reconstruction work. A cctv drain survey is the first step in investigating and remedying the problem.
Get rid of bad odours and noises
When you have blocked, broken or leaking drains, often you might notice a persistent bad smell or sometimes a loud rattling or gurgling noise, disturbing the peace and quiet of your home or even putting you off inviting guests round! These annoying issues can be sorted out quickly and efficiently, using a cctv drain survey to quickly find the cause of the problem and sort it out before any real damage can occur. So you can get back to enjoying your home!
Quick Clear Drainage can assist with all manner of CCTV drain surveys in London and the surrounding areas to prevent damage to your property, give you peace of mind when buying a new home or rental premises and identify the problem quickly where water damage has already occurred. Make an enquiry today for your path to clear drains and a secure home.